Lethargic, won't eat or drink, seems to have trouble seeing

[Sammer]

My girl is not doing well, so this post may be a bit long trying, to give as much detail as possible.

HISTORY
She is middle aged (not sure exact age), has two friends who are perfectly fine, but has taken a turn for the worse. I think she might be a golden sussex, but I'm not positive. Normally very active and healthy.

It has been below freezing the last few days, and two days ago I noticed that she was huddled with the other two girls, and laying down. It was the first really cold day, so I didn't think too much about it, just thought she was cold. Yesterday morning, I noticed the same thing, and when I checked on her early in the afternoon it was obvious something wasn't right.

SYMPTOMS
Overview: Lethargic, only wants to sleep, slow breathing, weight loss, possible loss of sight, won't eat or drink, tips of her comb temporarily turned purple hue, runny poop.

More details: She's normally very active, but now she won't even stand up on her own, she just lays there. I picked her up, and she barely reacted. She has lost a lot of weight, and I can fe l her breastbone prominently. I set her down, and she immediately laid back down. She closes her eyes frequently and her breathing is slow. I noticed the top edge of her comb was a darker purple color, (although this symptom has lessened now that she is inside).

I put food and water in front of her and she didn't react. I swished my finger in her water trying to entice her, and she reacted and seemed interested. I think she may be blind or have trouble seeing, because she turned her head down as if she wanted to drink, but missed the container entirely. Eventually she took a few gulps, but she dunked her head entirely as if she wasn't sure how far she needed to go to get it. If I moved the water she missed it. I haven't been able to get her to drink since then.

DIET
Their diet is pellets, and I give scratch and mealworms periodically. Scratch is her favorite, always runs for it. I brought some to her, and she wouldn't eat it. Same thing with mealworms. I scrambled her an egg, and she refused to eat that too. She refuses all food.

CURRENTLY
I brought her inside and she's in a dog crate now. I gave her some broth and showed her where it was (by swishing my finger in it), and scrambled another egg for her. She hasn't touched either of them.

Crop seems fine, her poop is watery. She doesn't lay eggs anymore. Here are a few pictures. Any ideas or suggestions? My vet is out of town, and I don't have anywhere to take her.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Overview: Lethargic, only wants to sleep, slow breathing, weight loss, possible loss of sight, won't eat or drink, tips of her comb temporarily turned purple hue, runny poop.

now she won't even stand up on her own

has lost a lot of weight,

She closes her eyes frequently and her breathing is slow. I noticed the top edge of her comb was a darker purple color,

She doesn't lay eggs anymore

I'm sorry that she is not doing well.

Can you feel her abdomen for bloat/swelling or fluid?

From your description and the poop (thank you for the photos). I would lean toward her having a reproductive problem. Internal laying, egg yolk peritonitis, cancer, tumors or Salpingitis are common in laying hens.
Symptoms include weight loss, loose droppings, lethargy, going off feed, difficulty walking and labored breathing.

You may want to gently feel inside her to see if there is an egg or soft shell egg that she is trying to pass. I know you mention that she doesn't lay anymore, but even old hens can lay eggs on occasion.

Do what you can to get her hydrated. You may need to syringe water into her carefully. If you have poultry vitamins, those may give her a little boost.

 

[rebrascora]

Sadly, if she has lost her sight and her appetite, it is probably the end of the road for her. She appears to be a red sex link, possibly a golden comet. Unfortunately they tend to have pretty short lives as they are bred to be really productive for a couple of years but the industry usually culls after that, so they have no interest in breeding for longevity. Reproductive ailments are common and the fact that such a bird has not been producing eggs for a year is indicative that there is a problem with her system. Internal laying, infection and cancer are all possibilities. The fact that she has lost a lot of weight may indicate cancer but it may also be that due to her failing eye sight, she has not been getting enough to eat for some considerable time and you did not notice because she has been acting relatively normal until she has become too weak to do so.
Without food and water she will die. Whilst it is possible to tube feed them, by putting a catheter down their throat and into the crop and syringing food directly into them, it is quite stressful for the bird and owner if you haven't done it before..... there are You Tube tutorials if you want to give it a go, but that is not going to fix her eye sight and you need to assess her quality of life even if there are not other issues going on, of having to be tube fed twice a day possibly for the rest of her life..... I would not want that for myself with no hope of improvement.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I'd give her a nice warm towel to snuggle into.

 

[Hanathehappyhen]

When was the last time she laid an egg? Does her poop smell awful? Try feeling her abdomen to see if you feel an egg is lump since she could be egg bound. Try to stand her on her feet and move her legs, if they are stiff and just can't move there's s chance she has Coccidiosis. It's important to make her drink try dribbling some water on her and wetting her legs in warm water. Separate the other two hens and see if they get similar symptoms. I hope she gets better but there's a good chance she might die. Try to make her comfortable with a pillow and blanket. Good luck.

 

[Sammer]

Hi everyone. Unfortunately, she didn’t make it and I lost her a few hours ago. I felt around for an egg, I gave her some electrolytes, and kept her warm. I did my best to keep her comfortable. I don’t think there was anything I could have done, but I don’t know.

Thank you all for your posts and suggestions. I’m not sure what happened, but I’m keeping a close eye on my other girls. I’ll miss this lady, she was my first chicken, a stray that wandered in my yard a few years ago and then I kept her and got her some friends. Who knew I’d love chickens so much?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi everyone. Unfortunately, she didn’t make it and I lost her a few hours ago. I felt around for an egg, I gave her some electrolytes, and kept her warm. I did my best to keep her comfortable. I don’t think there was anything I could have done, but I don’t know.

Thank you all for your posts and suggestions. I’m not sure what happened, but I’m keeping a close eye on my other girls. I’ll miss this lady, she was my first chicken, a stray that wandered in my yard a few years ago and then I kept her and got her some friends. Who knew I’d love chickens so much?

I'm very sorry.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I'm so sorry for your loss...

 

[micstrachan]

I’m so sorry.